Electric stapler apparatus



Jan. 21, 1969 YASUZO HATAZAKI E'TAL 3,423,002

ELECTRIC STAPLER APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1966 Sheet *1 of 4 F/G 2 F/G4 S42 CF89 Jan. 21, 3969 YASUZO HATAZAK: ET AL 3,423,002

ELECTRIC STAPLER APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1966 I Sheet 3 0f 4 3am. 21,"$69 I YASUZQ HATAZAKI ET AL 3,423,002

ELECTRIC STAPLER APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1966 Sheet of 4 Jan. 21, 1969suzo HATAZAKI ETAL 3,423,002

ELECTRIC STAPLER APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20. 1966 Sheet 4, of 4 UnitedStates Patent 3,423,002 ELECTRIC STAPLER APPARATUS Yasuzo Hatazaki,Osaka, and Seiji Yokogawa, Moriguchishi, Japan, assignors to MatsushitaElectric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan, a corporation of JapanFiled Sept. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 580,662 Claims priority, applicationJapan, Sept. 24, 1965, 40/723,753; Sept. 25, 1965, 40/78,973; Sept. 28,1965, 40/80,273, til/80,274; Mar. 29, 1966, 41/29,177; Apr. 8, 1966,ll/32,994; Apr. 14, 1966, 41/35,075 US. Cl. 227131 4 Claims Int. Cl.1327f 7/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric stapler actuated by amicroswitch which is closed by insertion of the papers to be stapled andincluding means to control the positioning of the staples in the paperand means to disable the stapler when recharging it with staples.

The present invention relates to an electric stapler apparatus of thetype in which electromagnetic force of an electromagnet is utilized fordriving a staple into sheets of paper to be fastened together.

In more detail, the present invention relates to an improvement in theelectric stapler apparatus of the type specified, in which a stapledriving lever is operated by energy produced by the excitation of anelectromagnet upon closure of a microswitch by means of a switch leverwhich is operated by the sheets of paper to be stapled together, saidmicroswitch being opened upon completion of the operation of said stapledriving lever.

The present invention has for its object the provision of an electricstapler apparatus in which a switch actuating member, having a slidingsurface for the sliding movement of an arm of a switch lever thereon onone side and an arm for actuating a microswitch on the other sidethereof, is pivotally disposed between the switch lever and themicroswitch. The switch actuating member is normally biased so as tokeep the sliding surface in contact with the arm of the switch lever, sothat, even when the switch lever is displaced in accordance with theposition of the sheets of paper to be stapled, the microswitch is alwaysactuated positively upon engagement of the sheets of paper with theswitch lever and thus it is possible to obtain a positive staplingoperation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electricstapler apparatus in which the staple position in the sheets of paper tobe fastened together can be adjusted only by the displacement of aswitch lever, without requiring the displacement of the switch element,so that a trouble-free operation of the switch element can be obtained.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an electric staplerapparatus in which a microswitch is opened concurrently with the drivingof a staple by the relative movement of a pin for mounting the switchactuating member with the operation of a staple driving lever and,therefore, it is possible to staple sheets of paper together quickly andcontinuously.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an electric staplerapparatus in which a switch actuating member may be displaced to anon-actuating position by a switch lever, so that an inadvertentoperation of the staple driving lever, possibly resulting in injury offinger tips of the operator, can be avoided even when the switch leveris actuated by mistake during the staple re-supply operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an electric staplerapparatus which is small in size, rigid 1n construction and low in cost.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an electric stapler apparatus embodyingthe present invention, with a portiFn broken away to show the importantportions there- 0 FIGURE 2 is a front elevation in section of theimportant portions shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the rear portion of the apparatuswith the top cover and the bottom cover removed;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of the parts in the importantportion of the apparatus;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of a staple driving lever and astaple magazine;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment ofthe invention, with a portion broken away to show the important portionsthereof;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevation in section of the important portions shownin FIG. 7;

FIGURE 9 is a top elevation of the important portions shown in FIG. 7;

FIGURE 10 is a front elevation in section of the staple magazine;

FIGURE 11 is a front elevation of the important portions of anotherembodiment of the base member;

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the switchlever;

FIGURE 13 is an exploded perspective view in the inverted position ofanother embodiment of the staple guide case; and

FIGURE 14 is a cross sectional view of the staple guide case shown inFIG. 13.

Description will now be given below in further detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Reference numeral 1 indicates a bottom coverformed by sheet metal to which a top cover 2 is firmly connected by abolt 3. In the front portion of the top cover 2 is a gap 4 for theinsertion of sheets of paper to be fastened together. A base member 5has a pair of legs 6, 6' and another pair of legs 7, 7' extendingdownward from both sides of the front and rear portions thereofrespectively, the lower portions of said legs 6, 6 and 7, 7' being bentinwardly to be fixed to the interior of the bottom cover 1. At the frontend portion of the base member 5 are provided a staple clinching anvil 8within the gap 4 and a plate member 11 which has formed therein a slot10 for the fore-and-aft sliding movement of a switch lever 9 therein,said switch lever protruding from said plate member into the gap 4. Astaple guide case 12 is pivotally connected at one end to the rear endportion of the base member 5 integrally with a staple driving lever 13,the forward end of said staple guide case being spaced apart from thestaple clinching anvil 8.

Reference numeral 14 indicates an electromagnet which is fixed to theundersurface of the rear end portion of the base member 5 and thearmature 15 of said electromagnet, which is projecting forwardly of saidelectromagnet, is adapted to be pulled backward upon excitation of anexciting coil. The base member 5 has an opening 16 formed substantiallyin the middle thereof and a pair of ears 17, 17 are extending downwardfrom both sides of said opening 16 as shown in FIG. 5. A bell crank 18is pivotally connected at the middle portion thereof to the ears 17, 17by means of a pin 19 and one end of the bell crank 18 is pivoted to theforward end extremity of the armature of the electromagnet 14 by meansof a pin 20, while the other end thereof is pivotally mounted on thelower opposite ends of rocking levers 21 by means of a pin 22. Therocking levers 21 in turn are pivotally connected at their upperopposite ends to the staple driving lever 13.

A fixture 24 having a pair of opposite arms 23, 23 is fixed to the frontleg 6' of the base member 5, to which a change-over microswitch 26 ismounted, said microswitch having a depending pin at the bottom thereof.On the arms 23, 23 of the fixture 24 there is mounted a switch actuatingmember 28 by means of a pin 29 for pivotal movement about said pin. Theswitch actuating member carries an arm 27 for depressing theaforementioned depending button 25 and is constantly urged rearwardly bya spring so as to locate the end extremity of the arm 27 below thedepending button 25 and to rotate said switch actuating membercounterclockwise. The pin 29 is mounted in the arms 23, 23' in such amanner that it is movable longitudinally, so that, when the pin is movedforward, the switch actuating member 28 is also moved forward againstthe force of the spring 30 by means of a stopper 31 which is mounted onsaid pin as shown in FIG. 9.

On the other hand, the leg 6 of the base member 5 is formed with ahorizontal slot 32 through which a stapling position adjusting member 33extends loosely. The inner end of the stapling position adjusting member33 is fixed interior of the leg 6 to a retaining plate 34, while theouter end thereof, extending outwardly of the leg 6, has synthetic resinor rubber washers 35, a stopper 35' and a tightening leaf spring 36,fitted thereon and secured by means of a split cotter pin 37. Theadjusting member 33 is slidable within the slot 32 in the fore-and-aftdirection. The switch lever 9 is pivotally connected at its lower end tothe retaining plate 34 by a pin 38 and is normally held in a verticalposition by a spring 39. When the switch lever 9 is tilted rearwardly bya force applied to its top end, an arm 40 which is formed integrallywith said switch lever 9 depresses the sliding surface 41 of the switchactuating member 28, with the result that the end extremity of the arm27 is moved upward to depress the depending button 25 of the microswitch26. Reference numeral 42 indicates a knob for the adjusting member 33.The switch lever 9 extends through a slot 18 formed in the plate member11, which is mounted on the base member 5, with the top end portionprojecting into the gap 4.

In front of the opening 16 in the base member 5, there is provided aU-shaped fixture 43 and a push-rod 45 is mounted therein. The push-rod45 is biased upwardly by means of a spring 44 and its top end projectsfrom the top surface of the base member 5 to bias the staple guide case12 upwardly so as to maintain a predetermined space between the stapleguide case 12 and the staple clinching anvil 8. The fixture 43 has apair of ears 46 formed at the rear end thereof, and a pressing plate 47connected to said ears by means of a pin 4-8. One end of the pressingplate 47 is abutting against the rear end of the pin 29, while the otherend thereof is located below the pin 22.

Now, the staple guide case 12 and the staple driving lever 13 will bedescribed hereinbelow with particular reference to FIG. 6. The stapleguide case 12 has a guide groove 49 formed in the top surface, aprojection 58 formed at the forward end extremity and a pair of laterally extending lugs 51, 51 formed in the middle portion thereof. Thebottom plate of the staple guide case 12 is cut away at its front endand a cut bent lub 52 is provided rearwardly of said cutaway portion ofthe bottom plate. In the rear portion of the bottom plate there isformed an opening 55 by cutting and bending upwardly a piece 54. Piece54 is formed with a through-hole 53. Also provided at the rear portionof the staple guide case are upwardly extending ears 57, 57, in whichholes 56, 56 are formed respectively for receiving a pin therein.

A U-shaped staple magazine 58 has a slot 59 formed in the center of thebottom plate thereof for engagement with the aforementioned cut bent lug52 of the staple guide case 12. A side wall of the staple magazine iscut away at the rear end portion and the bottom plate adjacent thatportion is provided with a notch 60 and a projection 62 having aslanting surface 61. Reference numeral 63 indicates a U-shaped frontcover for the staple magazine 58. The lower portions of the oppositearms 64, 64 of said cover are flexed inwardly, defining a space 66 infront of the flexed portions 65, which space is just Wide enough toallow a staple to pass therethrough. The cover 63 is fixed to the frontend of the staple magazine by riveting the flexed portions in such amanner as to form a space, corresponding to the aforementioned space 66,between it and the front end of the staple magazine to provide for thepassage of a staple therethrough.

Reference numeral 67 indicates an inverted U-shaped staple followerwhich is provided with a cut bent lug 68 projecting from the top surfaceand an end wall 70 having a through-hole 69 formed therein. Referencenumeral 71 indicates a shaft for a coiled spring 72 and 73 indicates alever by means of which the staple magazine 58 is secured interior ofthe staple guide case 12 through the engagement of a lug 74, provided atthe forward tip end of said lever, with the notch 60 in the staplemagazine 58.

In assembly the component parts described above, the staple magazine 58,with the cover 63 fixed thereto and the staple follower 67 fittedtherein, is inserted into the staple guide case 12 from the front end,and the shaft 71 is inserted through the hole 53 in the cut bent lug 54.After mounting the coiled spring 72 on said shaft 71, the forward tipend of the shaft is loosely engaged with the through-hole 69 in thestaple follower 67. The staple follower 67, therefore, is urgedforwardly by the elastic force of the spring 72 and the staple magazine58 is pushed forward by the staple follower. However, since in this casethe lug 74 0f the lever 73, which is pivoted to the rear portion of thestaple guide case 12 by a rivet 76 fitted in a hole, comes in engagementwith the notch 60 in the staple magazine 58 through the opening 55, thestaple magazine 58 can be secured within the staple guide case 12.

The staple driving lever 13 has a L-shaped staple driver 77 and a leafspring 78, integrally connected to the front portion thereof, holes 79formed substantially in the middle portion to provide for pivotalconnection of the rocking levers 21 therewith, a pair of lugs 80, 80also provided substantially in the middle portion, and a pair of holes81, 81 formed in the rear end portion, said leaf spring 78 having itsrear end portion bent downwardly. The staple driving lever 13 is mountedto the base member 5, together with the staple guide case 12, forpivotal movement with respect to each other by a pin 84 extendingthrough holes 83 in a frame member 82, which is fixed to the top surfacein the rear portion of the base member, and the aforementioned holes 81,with the downwardly bent rear end portion of the leaf spring 78 inabutment against the top surface of the staple guide case 12 and thelugs 80, 80 in engagement with the lugs 51, 51 of the staple guide case12 respectively.

An operating member 85 is mounted tothe side surface of the leg 7 of thebase member 5 and is laterally slidably held thereon by a retainer 86.The upwardly flexed portion 87 thereof is in contact with the endportion of the lever 73 which is constantly biased clockwise by a spring88. When the operating member 85 is moved rearward by means of a knob 89against the contractive force of the spring 88, the lever 73 swingsabout the rivet 76 counterclockwise and thereby the lug 74 at the tipend of the lever 73 is disengaged from the notch 60 in the staplemagazine '58, permitting the staple magazine 58 to project forwardbeyond the staple guide case 12 under the influence of the spring 72.Thus, it is possible to resupply staples in the magazine 58. In thiscase, separation of the staple magazine 58 from the staple guide case 12can be prevented by the engagement of the rear end of the slot 59 in theformer with the lug 52 of the latter.

Rubber suction cups 90 are fixed to the bottom surface of the bottomcover 1. The exciting coil of the electromagnet 14 is connected to apower source through the microswitch 26 by a lead wire 91 which extendsoutwardly from the rear end portion of the bottom cover 1.

The electric stapler apparatus of the invention described above operatesin the manner described below.

Upon inserting sheets of paper to be fastened into the gap 4 provided inthe front portion of the top cover 2, with the forward ends of thesheets striking the switch lever 9 backwardly, the arm 40 of said switchlever 9 depresses the sliding surface 41 of the switch actuating member28, so that the arm 27 of said switch actuating member 28 is movedupwardly to push the button 25 of the microswitch 26, placing saidmicroswitch in the closed position. The closure of the microswitchresults in the electromagnet 14 being energized to pull the armaturebackward. The staple driving lever 13, which is connected to thearmature by way of the bell crank 18 and the rocking levers 21,therefore, is moved downward.

Consequently, the staple guide case 12 is depressed by the leaf spring78 against the force of the spring 44 which is biasing the push-rod 45upwardly and thus the staple magazine 58, provided in the front portionof the staple guide case 12, is brought in contact with the sheets ofpaper on the staple clinching anvil 8. Immediately thereafter, thestaple at the forward end extremity of the stick of staples in thestaple magazine 58 is driven into the sheets of paper by the stapledriver to fasten the same.

As the staple driver 77 moves downward to its lowest position tocomplete the driving of the staple into the sheets of paper, the pin 22mounted to the bell crank 18 also moves downward, depressing the rearend portion of the pressing plate 47 to cause said plate to rotateclockwise. The rotation of the pressing plate 47 presses the pin 29forward by its front end and the switch actuating member 28 is alsomoved forward together with said pin, carrying the arm 27 forwardly awayfrom the button 25 of the microswitch and thus the engagement of the armwith the button is released. As a result, the electromagnet 14 isdeenergized and the armature 15 is returned to its original position,which in turn causes the staple driving lever 13 to return to itsoriginal position. Simultaneously the staple guide case 12 is returnedto its original position by being pushed upwardly by the pushrod 45.

In describinganother embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 through 11, the switchactuating member 28 is provided with a projection 92 at the forward endextremity of the sliding surface 41 thereof, so that When the switchlever 9 is moved forward, the switch actuating member 28 is also movedforward to the position indicated by the chain lines in FIG. 9, due tothe engagement of the arm 40 of said switch lever with said projection92. Such an arrangement is advantageous in eliminating an accidentalinjury of finger tips which may occur when the switch lever 9 isinadvertently struck by the finger tip, during re-supply of staples inthe staple magazine 58 or in the other cases, actuating theelectromagnet 14. Because, if in this case the switch actuating member28 has previously been displaced forwardly of its normal operativeposition into a position in which the arm 27 of said switch actuatingmember 28 is not engageable with the button 25 of the microswitch, inthe manner described, there is no possibility of the microswitch 26being closed even when the lever 9 is struck inadvertently, and thus anaccidental injury can be avoided. A retaining plate 34 for the switchlever 9 is mounted on the side surface of the leg 6 of base member 5 bymeans of a bolt which is extending through a slot 93 formed in said legand a slide washer 94, for sliding movement in said slot in thefore-and-aft direction, and this retaining plate is provided with a rack95 at its bottom. An operating rod 96 extending through the leg 6 isprovided with a pinion 97 at its tip end which is adapted to mesh withthe aforementioned rack 95. A leaf spring 98 is fitted on the operatingrod 96 and secured in position by a split cotter pin 100, with recessesformed peripherally thereof engaging with projections 99 provided on theexterior side surface of the leg 6. Such being the arrangement, theswitch lever 9 is moved in the fore-and-aft direction as the operatingrod 96 is rotated by a knob 101.

For the purpose of preventing a lateral displacement of the staple guidecase 12 at the time of driving a staple into the sheets of paper, aninverted U-shaped fixture 102 is secured to the top surface of the basemember 5, covering the rear end portion of said staple guide case.Alternatively, a pair of upwardly projecting ears 103, 103 may beprovided on the top surface of the base member in the manner shown inFIG. 11 to achieve the same purpose.

Provided in the rear portion of the base member 5 is a leaf spring 104which serves to constantly urge the staple guide case 12 upwardly incooperation with the pin 45.

FIG. 12 shows a modified form of the switch lever, in which the switchlever 9' is provided with a weight 105 extending forward from the bottomend portion thereof. This weight 105 serves to return the switch leverto its original position from the rearwar-dly tilted position after thesheets of paper have been stapled and removed from the stapler. Thisreturn movement of the switch lever 9' will be further accelerated bythe provision, in addition to the aforementioned weight 105, of thespring 39 as used in the previous embodiment. The switch lever 9' isconnected to the retaining plate 34 by means of a hole 106 formedtherein.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show an improved type of the stopper to be provided onthe staple guide case 12, which, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, isserved by the cut bent lug 52. In this improved type of the stopper, aU- shaped stopper member 107 is mounted over a cut bent lug 52' providedon the bottom surface in front portion of the guide case 12'. Asdescribed previously, the cut bent lug 52' serves to prevent the staplemagazine 58 from jumping out forward from the staple guide case 12'during resupply of staples in the staple magazine by the engagement withthe rear end of the slot 59 in the staple magazine 58, but repeatedengagements with the rear end of the slot 59 for staple resupplyoperation result in deformation of the lug 52 and finally render saidlug unserviceable as a stopper. Such a deformation of the cut bent lug52 can be prevented by the stopper member 107.

The electric stapler apparatus according to the present invention,which, as described hereinabove, comprises a switch lever adapted to beactuated by sheets of paper to be stapled together, a microswitch, a pinmovable in the fore-and-aft direction and a switch actuating platehaving a sliding surface on one side for the sliding of an arm of saidswitch lever thereon and an arm on the other side for depressing abutton of said microswitch and pivotally mounted on said pin, said pinnormally being urged so as to keep said sliding surface in contact withthe arm of said switch lever, is advantageous in that the staplingposition in sheets of paper to be fastened together may be adjustedoptionally by displacing the switch lever with the arm thereof slidingon the sliding surface of the switch actuating member, and further inthat the stapling operation can be performed repeatedly quickly becausethe staple driving lever is returned to its original positionconcurrently with the completion of the stapling operation due to thearrangement such that, upon completion of the downward movement of thestaple driving lever, the aforementioned pin is pushed forwardly by amember associating the armature of the electromagnet with the stapledriving lever, whereby the arm of the switch actuating member is movedaway from the position opposite the button of the microswitch, bringingthe microswitch into the open state.

Another advantage of the electric stapler apparatus of the invention isthat an accidental injury of finger tips possibly caused by inadvertentactuation of the staple driving lever during staple resupply operationor in the other cases where actuation of the staple driving lever is notdesired, can be prevented, because such an inadvertent actuation of thestaple driving lever can be avoided by previously displacing the switchactuating member to a position in which it is not engageable with thebutton of the microswitch even if said switch lever is pressed.

Still further advantage of the electric stapler apparatus of theinvention is that, since the adjustment of stapling position may beeffected only by the displacement of the switch lever, without requiringadjustment of the switch element, it is operated with less trouble andhas a long service life.

Still further advantages of the electric stapler apparatus are that thewhole structure of the stapler apparatus can be reduced in size,particularly in height, and can be made rigid, due to such arrangementin which the staple driving lever and staple guide case are mounted onthe top of the base member which has a pair of legs at each of the frontand rear end thereof, while the switch element and electromagnet aredisposed below said base member and the downward movement of the stapledriving lever is effected by the horizontal movement of the armature ofthe electromagnet, and that, since a heat possibly generated in theexciting coil of the electromagnet can be intercepted by the basemember, it is possible to use plastic materials for the top cover.

Other advantages of the present invention will be appreciated from thedescription herein with reference to the embodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric stapler apparatus, comprising a base member having astaple clinching anvil mounted on the top surface and an opening formedsubstantially in the middle portion thereof; a staple driving lever anda staple guide case, each having one end thereof pivotally connected tothe top surface of the rear end portion of said base member and normallyheld in such positions that the other end extremities thereof are spacedapart and arranged above said staple clinching anvil forming a gaptherebetween; an electromagnet fixed to the undersurface of the rear endportion of said base member; coupling means for coupling the armature ofsaid electromagnet with said staple driving lever through said openingin the base member such that said staple driving lever is moved downwardupon exciting said electromagnet; a microswitch having a dependingbottom at the bottom and fixed to the undersurface of the front portionof said base member; a switch lever disposed on one side of saidmicroswitch for pivotal movement with its top end projecting on one sideof said staple clinching anvil and adapted to be pivoted rearwardly bysheets of paper to be fastened; a pin disposed between said switch leverand said microswitch and displaceable in the fore-and-aft direction andnormally being urged rearwardly; a switch actuating member having asliding surface on one side for the sliding movement of an arm providedat the lower portion of said switch lever thereon and an arm on theother side for depressing said depending button of the microswitch, andmounted on said pin for pivotal movement thereabout, said switchactuating member normally being urged such that the sliding surfacethereof is in contact with the arm of the switch lever; and a memberadapted to press said switch actuating member forward together with saidpin upon completion of the downward movement of said staple drivinglever.

2. An electric stapler apparatus according to claim 1, in which saidswitch actuating member is provided with a projection at the forward endextremity of the sliding surface thereof, manual means to move saidswitch lever forwardly and rearwardly to engage with said projectionthereby moving said switch actuating member to disengage said arm fromsaid microswitch thus preventing unintentional stapling.

3. An electric stapler apparatus, comprising a base member having a pairof legs at each of the front and rear portions, a staple clinching anvilmounted on the top surface and an opening formed substantially in themiddle portion thereof; a staple guide case comprising a guide grooveformed in the top surface, a projection provided at the front endextremity of said guide groove, lugs laterally extending from both sidesin the middle portion, a cutaway portion formed in the front end portionof the bottom, a cut bent lug provided in rear of said cutaway portionand an opening formed in the rear portion of the bottom thereof; astaple magazine having a U-shaped cross section and slidably insertedinto said staple guide case, said staple magazine comprising a front endcover closing the front end thereof, a slot formed in the front endextremity of the bottom thereof for driving a staple therethrough, anelongate groove formed centrally of the bottom for engagement with saidcut bent lug of the staple guide case, a notch formed in the rearportion of the bottom and having the open end thereof facing to a sideand a projection having a slanting surface formed in rear of said notch;an inverted U-shaped staple follower slidably inserted into said staplemagazine and provided with a projection on the top surface thereof whichslides in said guide groove in the staple guide case and engages theprojection provided at the forward end of said guide groove; a spring tourge said staple follower forward within said staple guide case; astaple driving lever comprising a pair of lugs formed substantiallycentrally thereof for engagement with said laterally extending lugs ofthe staple guide case, and a leaf spring having one end thereof being incontact with the top surface of said staple guide case and a L-shapedstaple driver, secured to the front portion thereof, said staple drivinglever being pivotally connected at one end to the rear portion of saidbase member together with said staple guide case; a spring loaded memberextending through said base memer to urge the front end of said stapleguide case upwardly; a lever pivotally connected to the rear portion ofsaid staple guide case and having one end being biased by a spring fixedto the base member so that a projection provided at the other endengages said notch of the staple magazine; an operating rod to cause aswinging motion of said lever against the contractive force of saidspring so as to release said projection from engagement with said notchof the staple magazine; an electromagnet fixed to the undersurface ofthe rear portion of the base member with the horizontally rockablearmature projecting forwardly thereof; a bell crank having the centralportion thereof pivotally conected to ears extending from said openingin the base member and the opposite ends thereof piovtally connected tothe opposite ends of rocking levers which are pivotally connected at theother opposite ends to substantially the center of said staple drivinglever; a microswitch having a depending button at the bottom thereof andfixed to one of the front legs of the base member; a switch leverpivotally mounted to the other front leg of the "base member and havinga tip end projecting on a side of said staple clinching anvil for beingpivoted rearwardly by sheets of paper to be fastened; a pin mounted intwo opposite arms projecting below said microswitch for movement in thefore-and-aft direction and normally being urged rearwardly; a switchactuating member having a sliding surface on one side for engagement byan arm provided at the lower portion of said switch lever and an arm onthe other side for depressing said depending button of the microswitch,and mounted on said pin for pivotal movement thereabout, said switchactuating member normally being urged such that the sliding surfacethereof is in contact with the arm of the switch lever; and a pressingplate pivotally mounted below the base member and having one end beingin contact with the rear end of said pin and the other end being located9 10 below a pin which connects said bell crank with said rockitsoriginal position after having been actuated by sheets ing levers, sothat, when said staple driving lever has comf p pe t e fastened. pletedits downward movement, it is pivoted by said second pin to thereby presssaid first pin to move it for- References C'ted Ward along With saidswitch actuating member. 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. An electric staplerapparatus according to claim 3, 1,940,980 12/1933 Swanson in that aframe member 15 provided on the top surface 2 947 8/1960 Moore of thebase member to prevent lateral displacement of 1 3 2/1962 Oussani X thestaple guide case and a weight is provided at the lower portion of theswitch lever to bring said switch lever to 10 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, 1a.,Primary Examiner.

